It's about the fire...,

Growing
up I always loved fire. I was mesmerized by my parents' fireplace.
I was always the kid sitting closest to the campfire. Once I
dumped alcohol on a burning fire and got my first lesson in fuel
flow -vs- rate of ignition as that bottle of alcohol took off
like a rocket. I became a volunteer firefighter during college
where I studied electrical engineering and computer science.
I've always loved technical art forms; woodworking, photography,
metal work. Anything involving tools, equipment and working with
my hands.

I took a 15 year hiatus
from these loves while I was involved with the computer industry,
the last ten of which I spent as a senior systems analyst for
a major computer manufacturer. I had seen glass blowing once
and subconsciously knew it had all the right ingredients: a lot
of tools, equipment and most of all a lot of fire. In 1991 I
went to a craft show where I rediscovered these interests and
saw the most amazing blown glass work. Later that year I was
off to the Penland School of Crafts for a month where I learned
glass blowing from several internationally known glass artists.
I knew right away. Before I left Penland the first time, I had
signed up for another 2-month intensive in the spring of 1992.
Having no idea how I was going to handle this with my real job,
I went back and turned in my notice. By the fall of 1992 I had
my own studio.

I've never looked back.

I still love the fire.
I love running my studio, building equipment and teaching classes.
But most of all I love creating the work; Molten, fluid, hot
(really hot!) glass being shaped, coaxed, encouraged into form
with only a few simple tools.
The process is somewhat cathartic for me, almost a meditation.
Working in concert with the glass, the rest of the world disappears
for a few moments and
it's just me... by myself... with the fire.